Week 3

The group has decided, rather than try to improve the Al Bahar design they would try to create a design of their own. They will continue to use to facade on the Al Bahar building as inspiration. By then end of the next week we plan to the primary idea for our design in place and to begin to produce a 3D model of the design. One idea which is considered is to have a general structure similar to an origami fortune teller, with the interior consisting of panels of glass and the outer panels made from solid materials. This could then be opened and closed to allow light into the building. And added bonus of such a design is the fact that this structure is attractive and rather organic in form, resembling a four-petal flower. The "flower" would be open in the back, and as the petals moved the opening would be revealed or hidden, allowing the group to control the amount of daylight entering the building.

At this point the addition of a double-skin facade was added to the design. This concept, explained further in the Information/References page, places two layers of glass around the outside of a building, leaving a chimney-like channel which seeps away hot air between them. This idea was integrated into the design because in temperate regions such as ours, limiting daylight is not always a problem. However, these facades, while effective, have a flaw. If the facade is unshaded the air inside continues to head until it is as much as 50 F above ambient temperature, which makes the double skin lose many of its benefits. For example, this facade would usually act as an insulator from excess heat during the summer, but when overheated would instead be contributing excess heat.